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    Life Lessons From The Pennsylvania Dutch
    Life Lessons From The Pennsylvania Dutch
    Life Lessons From The Pennsylvania Dutch
    Ebook56 pages57 minutes

    Life Lessons From The Pennsylvania Dutch

    By Susan Kissinger

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    About this ebook

    The mother is the glue that holds the family together. She does not take a step, which does not educate herself, her husband, or others. So surely as she lifts a finger, or utters a word, or gives a direction, or casts an approving or disapproving look, that modifies the feelings, or the conduct, or the health, of those around her. Susan Kissinger has written a loving tribute to her mother, the one who held her family together during extremely difficult times in coal country Pennsylvania. Life Lessons From The Pennsylvania Dutch is a story and a guidebook of survival. Susan was born and raised during a time when the mother stayed home and raised the family, and the father worked to support the family. During Susan's early years, things were going well enough, with each member of the family fulfilling their roles. Then at the age of nine, tragedy struck the family. Susan's father was diagnosed with cancer and died soon after. Although her mother was devastated, she forged ahead and took over the family. She took a job, and wore two important hats, one as mother, and one as head of household and bread winner.
    This is not a book that you will read once, and then store in your back files. This is a reference book that will be re-read, taught to, and discussed with your children. Susan passes the knowledge and wisdom from her mother on to everyone to share with each other in the family and pass down to the next generation. There are chapters devoted to the following topics: running a safe, organized and happy home, staying busy with activities like reading, crafts, independence, being grateful for the simple things in life, staying healthy, the virtues of being a woman and a mother, and helping others. Susan describes in detail in each chapter how to achieve each objective. At the end of each chapter is a how to list that can be followed by each member of the family.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSusan Kissinger
    Release dateMar 17, 2018
    ISBN9781370355174
    Life Lessons From The Pennsylvania Dutch
    Author

    Susan Kissinger

    Susan Kissinger (1958-2017) was born and raised in Valley View, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. This is in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, an area rich in Amish and Mennonite culture. Susan graduated from Messiah College in Harrisburg, Pa with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Susan had many talents, including home maintenance

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      Book preview

      Life Lessons From The Pennsylvania Dutch - Susan Kissinger

      Table of contents

      Forward

      introduction 

      Chapter one: Humble Beginnings

      Chapter two:  Home chores are everyone’s responsibility

      Chapter three: Reading changes lives   

      Chapter four: Never have idle hands   

      Chapter five:  There is great beauty in the little things of life

      Chapter six: Being a woman and a mother is a great gift   

      Chapter seven: A clean home is a happy home   

      Chapter eight:  Frugality is an art. Take care of what you own

      Chapter nine: If you are sick, stay in bed.  Rest is important

      Chapter ten: Helping others should be a part of everyday life

      Afterward

      Biography 

      ––––––––

      Forward

      ––––––––

      Susan and I were married for over eleven years.  In March of 2017 she was diagnosed with stage four cancer.  The doctors refused to offer treatment.  Susan had been using natural treatments before the diagnosis.  She continued doing this, but it was already too late.  Together, we decided to use hospice, and for three intense months, I took care of Susan.  During this time, we talked about many things.  She showed me what she had written over the years.  There were journals, seed saving tips, home inspection lists, an outline of house projects, poems, blog entries, and a wish list for me to fulfill when the time came for her to die.  One of her wishes was for me to publish this book. 

      As of this writing in October 2017, it has been a little over two months since Susan’s death.  One of the few things I have been able to do is type her book.  Susan used paper and pen to write everything, so I entered every word into the word processing program on my computer.  I consider the task to be a mission, because I believe as strongly as she did that our society needs more than ever to read her message.  Somehow, I was able to focus on preparing this book for the public.  You may call it a labor of love.

      As I walk through the house, everywhere I see reminders of Susan, her simple but elegant clothing, her simply ingenious inventions.  Curtains, boxes for my stuff, end table doilies, seat covers, window shades were all made by Susan.  There are many dollar store items repurposed into something that filled a different niche.  These are creations of Susan’s mind and a few cheap or free materials.  She was a master at finding joy in little things.  I had never seen her struggle to make any of these things.  It must have been easy for her to write this book, because these ideas came from her life experiences in the Pennsylvania Dutch community.  Once again, I’m happy to share these ideas with

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